"Is something on your mind?"

"You mean, other than you?"

Nozel chuckled at her question, which made Vanessa grin even more and cuddle closer to him. One of her hands were lingering on his naked chest, his arm was around her shoulders, holding her to him. They were looking at each other, unable to look away.

At least, Nozel couldn't. Right now, nothing else existed in the world anymore than those rosewood curls, the amethyst orbs, that gorgeous smile.

It was a night of full moon, the silver light shining brightly through his windows, bathing them. It was impossible to find sleep with that much light, but the lovers didn't care. Nozel wondered why he should dare fall asleep when Vanessa was right there? As wonderful it was to fell asleep while holding her, Nozel wasn't really inclined to do just that. He couldn't enjoy Vanessas presence while he slept.

He felt her slender fingers run softly over his skin. Nozel smiled. His free hand took hers, their fingers intertwined.

How strange it was that every part of her seemed to fit perfectly with him. Long ago, it would have wondered him, scared him maybe. He would have questioned it, trying to ignore that bliss.

But he wasn't able to do this anymore. Nozel ignored if he lost the strength to fight against it or if he actually became stronger by being able to accept it. Maybe it wasn't to know that. And even if it was, he didn't care. He never felt such happiness since his mother died and after he fight so long against it due to his guilt and sense of duty, Nozel would rather be damned than falling back into this controlled, lonely and cold life he had before.

Right now, it was only them, in their own little world. No royal, no witch. No Silver Eagle, no Black Bull. Just them, lying in the moonlight.

Just Vanessa and Nozel.

If he could show himself at her side out in the open, it would be better. But for now, what they had was enough.

He never slept alone anymore since their first time. Vanessa was there every night. It didn't matter if he asked or if she appeared unannounced, if she was already there waiting on the balcony or if they came back after spending the late afternoon together. They really couldn't get their hands of each other. As if they were two halves of a whole. Or better, two wholes becoming an entirely new whole.

Nozel was still surprised how quickly he fell in love with Vanessa. He never believed that this was possible, but now, he had to take this into consideration. And at the same time, it hadn't that fast, given that it still took him some time to get to know her and then to realize his feelings.

Maybe it was different for every person?

Every romance is different from one another, Nozel.

His mother had told him that once, back then when he was still a little child. He didn't really remember why she had told him that and to which occasion. But it seems logical, as logic love could be.

"Actually, there is something I can't stop think about…" Vanessa murmured, interrupting his thoughts. She was still tracing patterns on his chest.

"What is it?"

"Three days ago, I had a talk with Finesse… You know, Finrals wife."

The royal wedding… When Finesse Calmreich married Finral Vaude. Nozel could never forget his one dance with Vanessa.

Did all truly started back then? And would he dance again with her one day? No, he will. This should be certain.

"Finesse told me that the two of you almost got engaged."

"There was nothing between us I swear!" Nozel immediately replied, kissing her forehead, in an attempt to calm her down. But it was more to calm himself.

Vanessa giggled. "Silly eagle, I wasn't concerned about that. It's just…" her voice was now sad and somehow, a little bit upset. "They only planned to engage you and Finesse to mock you. At least, that's what Finesse told me. After all, she has a poor health, so she told me that it's very difficult for her to have children. And… well, since other royals disliked you and despite the fact that there was only four Silvas left…"

She understood the implication. He heard it in the hesitation in her voice and how she slightly clinged stronger to him. Despite how carefree she usually was, Vanessa already knew more about the world of royalty than she should have normally.

Nozel didn't really liked it, as he didn't want her to be corrupted by this complicated and chained world. But it was kinda inevitable, right? The moment she started to ask questions back in Spade, it was probably a matter of time before Vanessa learned the dark truth behind the golden tapestry of royalty.

At the same time, it was also surprisingly reassuring that she came to understand. After years of loneliness and dealing alone with so many problems, it was nice to have someone at his side who could get it all. Heaven's know how much Nozel probably needed that, without even realizing it.

Nozel hold Vanessa closer to her. He didn't know if she needed it more or him, but holding her clearly helped.

"It's true. Our engagement was mostly planned to, well, mock house Silva, especially through me. We Silvas have a history to die young or in celibacy, most of the time. To a point that there are only four of us left, today. Mostly, a lot of members of each royal house tend to dislike the other royal families on principle. It is stupid, but somehow, it had always been like this. Not so much in my generation, thankfully. But the older ones… Achilles Vermillion, the head of house Vermillion, is especially… Silva-phobic, don't ask me why. I have given up to understand his reasons, it's always so contradictory. And king Augustus… well, mock royals who struggle to ignore the problems within his own house is practically a discipline he excels with. It seems… fun to them to marry the still unmarried head of house Silva with a woman who practically couldn't give him any heirs. But it was never a serious business. The king somehow likes his grand-niece and my father would have never accepted such a match. For me to marry someone possibly sterile didn't fit well in his schemes, even if Finesse is a royal related to the king, and since he is well loved by king Augustus and lord Achilles, it probably wasn't hard to convince them otherwise."

"That wasn't fair. It's so disrespectful towards both you and Finesse! It's not her fault she has a poor health. And you… why did they disliked you in particular?"

"Probably because I already made some mistakes during my first weeks as head of house Silva."

"But… you were fifteen, you just lost your mother, you were grieving. You were too young."

"Sadly, this never counted for most royals and nobles. In this world, marriages aren't out of love and children aren't normally supposed to be attached to their parents, so why grieving? When you became the Head of your house, you have to be strong from the start, no mistakes, no acting like child. It's like another one of those stupid unwritten golden rules. Lord Achilles often compared me to my grandfather when I made a mistake in his eyes. Which is ironic, given how he and my grandfather always hated each other. Or to my father, who only married into royalty though. But he had nobles and most royals in the palm of his hand."

"Is that a reason why you tried to be a perfect royal?"

"Yes… I'm not proud of it, but I only cared about what my mother left behind and to protect my siblings, not realizing I've made all four of us unhappy and hurt. I controlled every inch of my life to be a perfect royal by those standards, but it was never enough. Add to this that I was never a liar, I always tried to avoid contradiction. But lies and complots and contradiction are a norm within royalty and nobility. Looking back at it, it's no wonder I made everything more complicated than they already were."

It was nothing he was proud of. In fact, in was ashamed, especially considering how much his siblings were hurt and unhappy, Noelle in particular. So many reasons…

"Nozel, I won't deny you made mistakes. But not the ones the other royals fault you with and for the rest, you were alone for so long, even worse, you were lonely, and hurt as much as your siblings. They were circumstances and honestly, considering everything, except being a super human, I don't know how you could handle all of this perfectly. I know that I wouldn't have done better if I were in your shoes. Given all you went through, it shows that you have a lot of inner strength."

Vanessa shifted, sitting up so that she could look at him. Nozel was taken aback by her kind smile and the compassion in her eyes. All this time he thought compassion would just hurt him more and yet, Vanessa proved him again that it wasn't a bad thing. It was actually soothing.

"I know you now, Nozel. I know you have a good heart, that you care so much. You never got the occasion to show it, but you always have it in you. In fact, it's amazing that despite all the hell you went through, you still kept your good heart and your ability to care. You try to make up for your mistakes and you do it great. Your siblings have forgiven you, at least Noelle and Nebra. And I've forgiven you as well."

"I wonder how you all are doing this. Forgiving me… I still have a hard time to achieve that."

"Maybe it's because you're too hard on yourself. But I help you with forgiving yourself. You have been strong alone for so long, Nozel. Time for you to be strong with other people."

Vanessa didn't let him any time to reply, as she immediately leaned down to kiss him. Leaving Nozel no other choice than to kiss her back. It was soft as first, but their lips were soon dancing more passionately with each other, lighting again a fire within them, impossible to ignore.

The kiss was long, but of course had to come to an end when they needed to breathe again. It still didn't stop Nozel to hold Vanessa firmly against him. Holding her seemed so natural, as if it was the solution to everything. Did she realize what kind of power she had over him?

"It's somehow strange."

"What, honey?"

"When you're with me… Everything seems so simple and I feel so at peace. It's like I don't care anymore about my worries or more like they seem so tiny all of a sudden. It's very agreeable, I won't deny that. But…"

"You're not used to it."

"Exactly."

"You're finally relaxing more and be more at peace. It's just something you definitely needed after all those hellish years, that's all."

"Still, I worry more when you're not with me."

"You're still in a learning phase. I am too, after all. How can I at the very least support you if I know nothing about how royalty works?"

"You're here, that's so much already for me."

"Hm, you still deserve more help than just my presence, as entertaining as it is."

His chuckle was heavy when he shifted a bit to kiss her forehead. She was amazing and even that word seemed like an understatement.

Nozel never knew he could feel so at ease with someone and he couldn't imagine it with anyone else but her. Maybe because no one else would make him feel that way. Because people weren't her, people weren't Vanessa Enoteca.

Her fingers were still tracing on his chest, contouring the scars left by the attack of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, his muscles, even his nipples. But she wasn't giggling. If Nozel knew Vanessa, then this would mean one thing.

"You're still thinking?"

"Well, you know, learning also implies some thinking. Even more if it concerns royalty."

"And what were you thinking about?"

Vanessa didn't answered immediately, just absently tracing patterns on his skin. It must some difficult subject, maybe. Like so many when it came to royalty. Nozel hold her closer to him.

"It's just… Mimosas mother, she is your aunt. So, she was a Silva before her wedding."

"Yes, she was."

"Then, if this Achilles Vermillion is so against the Silvas, why did he let one of them marry into his house?"

"Politics between the Silvas and the Vermillions, maybe. Probably also to take one Silva away, weakening the rival house or just to spite my grandfather. If the situation had been reversed, my grandfather would probably would have handled the same."

Nozel hadn't been born when Océane Silva was wed of, becoming Océane Vermillion. She came as often as she could when he was still a small child. When his mother was still alive.

He remembered how upset his mother was about her younger sister married to another royal house. Not because she hated the Vermillions, Acier Silva wasn't like that, never had been. She just hated that her younger sister had been wed off, to a house which most members wouldn't care less about her, with a husband who was at best indifferent, chained to a house that wouldn't let her bloom her potential. Acier and Océane had always been very close, even more so after the death of their three older siblings. Two uncles and another aunt Nozel had no memories about.

"This sucks, honestly. Did she try to still visit a lot."

"Despite Achilles' protests she always did. Especially when my mother was still alive. But afterwards… With how I was back then, her own grief for her sister, the state of house Silva and everything… the visits are now rare."

"It seems to pain you, Nozel."

He only nodded. He liked his aunt and it clearly hadn't been easy for Océane either. She tried to help at first, but he had been a grieving stubborn boy and Achilles Vermillion would never have accepted that his house helped house Silva.

Maybe he should start changing this as well. He already tried to mend his relationship with his siblings and it was today much better with his sisters. As for his close Vermillion relatives, Mimosa never had been a problem and Kirsch… well, his cousin just had a bigger heart than at first glance, despite how much he loved himself and how many times he was a pain with his beauty speeches. Océane was their mother, always trying to help and one of the rare people his father was unable to make yield.

"Do you think I should reach out to her again?"

"If you want, then yes. With what you just told me about her, your auntie seems to be a really nice lady. I'm sure she would be happy too."

Knowing Océane, she would truly would be. Another thing he never would have done before, but now he was ready for it.

Vanessa giggled, starting to give him a scalp massage. It was one of the many ways she used to make him relax and Nozel would lie if he would say that he didn't enjoy it.

"You're a bit more like a cat more than an eagle when I'm doing that. And just as cute."

"Is there anything you actually don't find adorable?"

"About you? There's nothing I don't find cute."

His chuckle was heavy. He was almost disappointed when she stopped her massage, but since she snuggled again to him, he had nothing to complain.

"Did you hear anything about your father, lately?"

"Only that he's at one of his own estates, somewhere on the countryside of the Noble Realm. If he could stay there for the rest of his life and stop all his schemes altogether, it would be the best for everyone."

"Estates? He has more than one?"

"Yes. And all for himself. He never let his wife or his children into one of his estates. My mother tried to believe that it was because of some charity he was doing or something like that. But she was so long in a delusion when it came to my father."

Nozel sighed. He loved his mother, he truly did. But one thing he would never understand was the love Acier had for Lac. Even though she started to had doubts after Solids birth and finally gave up on this one-sided affection when she was pregnant with Noelle, Nozel never dared to ask what she saw in her husband.

"Nozel… The marriage you talked about, back in Spade. You were talking about your parents, right?"

Nozel only nodded, amazed that she still remembered this after half a year. But then again, should it surprised him? It was part of the never ending surprise or miracle that was Vanessa Enoteca.

"Damn… and you seemed to have known the truth for very long. Given how close you were to your mother, it must have hurt you to see her treated that way with the love she had to give."

"I admit it was hard to witness, yes. She even had no idea he cheated on her many times."

"Ouch."

"I was nine or ten years old when I found out. It was pure coincidence I saw a crying woman leave his chambers, one of the rare times he was at the palace. My parents didn't slept in the same bedroom and their chambers were far away from each other. Probably on my father's wish. For long, I had no idea that he was committing adultery. And then, it also took me a while to understand that it wasn't just for lust. He used his affairs to gain leverage and power over those women, as well as their houses. Because all of them were nobles, of course. One day, I confronted him about it. Or at least, I wanted. The moment I mentioned it in front of him, he slapped me, telling me that I don't understand the greater good in those things. If my mother hadn't seen him slap me… It was their first fight and I think she started to have doubts back then. It wasn't an easy time for her. Noelle was conceived around that time as well. I think my mother hoped that she would win my father back with another child. But due to the difficult pregnancy, she didn't had the strength for her delusion anymore."

"Damn… This is harsh. No wonder you hate adultery."

Her words surprised him. But Nozel realized that Vanessa was right. He always hated when people cheated on their spouses, even in arranged marriages. Because of his father and what he did to his mother. And his mistresses, since he was using them. Nozel never knew any of them, never tried to find out who they were. Should he had to? They were victims just as much as his mother.

But it was true. A lot of things were now making sense. Like why he gave up on marrying himself of into a loveless marriage the moment he and Vanessa became lovers. Nozel knew that this kind of situation wouldn't have stopped others to keep their lovers as mistresses while going through arranged marriages.

But not him. He loved Vanessa with all his heart, she deserved so much better than to be just a mistress, living in the shadows of a marriage, to be only with him for a few fleeting hours. No, Nozel would never become like his father and Vanessa would never become his mistress, no matter what.

"It's hard to believe that you're his son, honestly."

"I still have some traits from him. People often say that I was a perfect mix of my parents physically."

"I wasn't talking about your looks. I was talking about your personality."

Nozel arched a brow, looking at her. But Vanessa just smiled.

"It isn't obvious, of course, given your past mistakes, how cold you seem to many, how subtle your actions are. But I know that you have way more honour than your old man. And despite you doing things the roundabout way, your heart is obviously at the right place."

Vanessa sat up while telling him this. She smiled so brightly at him it seems that the stars fell into her eyes, while the sun and the moon find their way in her smile.

Nozel could only just look at her, stunned and touched by her words, processing the way she saw him. Vanessa giggled and leaned down to kiss him.

"You are a good man, Nozel. Don't forget that."

"I still have some difficulties to believe this."

"We really need to work on your guilt issues. But don't worry, I'm here to help you. And to make sure you'll never forget that you're a good man."

She gave him another peck on the lips, before cuddling against him, on his chest. Nozel put his arms around her, holding her the closest he could.

He wanted this for the rest of his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with Vanessa at his side. He might have no idea how he could manage this and when, since their relationship was still young. He didn't know yet if they would need to fight for her to become a royal or he would need to find a way to get rid of his royal status.

But Vanessa was practically his wish at this point and Nozel refused to give up on her without a fight.

He closed his eyes for a moment and all he saw was children. With silver hair, but also rosewood pink just like Vanessas or brighter shades of her colour…

Wait, stop! It's way too early to think about that!

It was a nice thought, though. Still, Nozel had to hold back. They just got together, no one else knew about them and more importantly, he still haven't properly confessed to her yet!

He would need to do that, eventually. Why didn't have it done it already? Either the timing wasn't right. Or he wanted to make it a special occasion, because it's what Vanessa would deserve. Or maybe he didn't need to.

And most of the time, Nozel wondered why he haven't confessed to her yet.

"You know, one of the things I love the most about you is the bond you had with your mother," Vanessa whispered after a while, again tracing patterns on his skin. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"How so? Most people who would learn about that bond would call me a mama's boy, mocking me."

"As if being a mama's boy would always be such a bad thing. You're not the kind of being spoiled rotten by your mother, being unable to properly grow and being pampered every minute. No, you're the kind who is close to your mother, who wanted to help and support her, who loved each moment spent with her and she was definitely was one who was proud at you, who would have loved to see grow, be it strong, kind or just becoming the best version of yourself as an adult. I think it's a rare thing, especially given how nobles are most of the time, not to mention royals. But she cared for you and your siblings in any way possible and you still have so much affection for her. It is something I really love."

He heard her sigh, then added, "I already told you that I didn't had a good bond with mine. It is reassuring that it's not the case for everyone."

"What happened between you?"

"You interested in it…"

It wasn't a question, her voice was soft. But not like his question hurt her. It sounded like she was relieved he actually ask.

"I am. But you always seemed wary when it's about the Witches Forest and I was afraid my questions would hurt you and-"

Vanessa put a finger on his lips.

"Another proof that your heart is at the right place… But I warn you, it's not a happy story, although you probably guessed that already."

"I did…"

"Well, you know, I don't even know if the Witch Queen is my biological mother. I have some traits very similar hers, but I'm not the only witch to have those. I called her mother, but every witch also called her like that and for her, each witch was like her daughter, in a way. I don't know how witches are born even, despite being one. I think it's only teached when a witch got her grimoire, but I was already out of the Forest back then, so I never learned? Anyways, little witches are raised together by older ones, all together, a bit like a mix of nursery and school. Unless the Queen took a special interest in you, so you're more or less raised by her. Which was probably my case, she took me in before I could even walk, apparently."

"Because of your Fate-binding spell."

"You guessed that right… The Witch Queen, my mother, is someone difficult to read. She seems to be on this world like forever. Not to mention that she is able to see the future. At least, I think so? I'm not sure. But it's certain that she has amazing power, although it never seemed enough for her. I don't know if she wanted more power for herself or if it was to protect her forest and her daughters better. But I know for sure, she foresaw somehow that I would get a spell that would bend Fate itself. She wanted it. And for that… she put me in a cage."

Nozel flinched. He had no idea what to say, so he hold Vanessa more, as tightly as he could.

She told him everything. Those lonely years in the cage, her suffering, how Yami saved her rather by coincidence, how she joined the Black Bulls and never wanted to came back. How she still returned to the Witches Forest to find a way to save Astas arms and how she was ready to even go back into the cage for her squadmate, the battle that occurred soon after… and how she finally got the spell her mother put her in a cage for.

"It wasn't anything like she imagined. To be fair, after all the fuss my mother made about that spell, I actually expected something… grander, maybe? But it was somehow far simpler. It's not like I can changed Fate entirely with Rouge, he only works on the people I care the most about. Maybe if I train more, I can use it on more people? But it is a fact that I can't bend Fate entirely. The Queen… I think this shock was so terribly big for her. And I know that compared to the family I found out of the Forest, she was nothing to me. We're on better terms today, more or less, I can visit the witches in the Forest if I want, but… It's not my home and I can't really consider her my mother entirely. I think I moved on…"

"But it is still making you wary today…"

"Yes. I never realized it, but it was still hurting me. I tried to ignore it, but I should have known that I wasn't completely over it. I fight against all kinds of cages and limits my whole life since I came out of the cage. I just never really realized it."

"It's not really a bad thing."

"I know. But by ignoring my trauma, I think I never really came to terms with it. After all, Yami haven't known the whole context when he saved me and I never told anyone. Heck, my own squadmates never learned it from me directly. Asta was even angry that I was ready to sacrifice myself so that he could use his arms again. I don't blame him, though."

"Hm…"

"You sound unsure, honey."

"I understand that Asta was upset at you. But if I were in your shoes, I would have been ready to do the same. As much as we dislike when others sacrifice themselves for us, we would do the same thing for those we care about."

"You did that a lot in your life."

Nozel just nodded. As wrong as he was with how he did it, he was still ready to sacrifice anything for his siblings, even himself. And now, there was Vanessa… How strange, he never realized that maybe Nebra, Solid and Noelle would be upset if he had to sacrifice himself for them. But they would be, his sisters especially would be very mad. Vanessa probably too, but she also could understand.

Talking seems to put things into a new perspective.

He heard Vanessa sigh, before she talked again, "It's strange. I never dared to tell my squadmates about my past. And yet I was ready to tell you. But to be fair, you're also the reason why I stopped ignoring what happened to me."

"How so?"

"It's subtle, but I think it started during our talk in Spade. You never talked about it, but you also never ignored your past, unlike me. Despite all your mistakes and your pain, you never turned your eyes away from them, you were working on making things better instead. I came to admire that, so that I stopped ignoring my own past. I even considered telling you about it one day. And I just did. In fact, I should thank you for giving me the push to move on."

"Are you sure it's thanks to me? I've never really moved on from my own trauma until recently. And it's actually a lot thanks to you."

"And still you were a reason for me to finally starting to move on. Also, I'm glad that I somehow helped you as well with your own past. We both helped each other…"

Vanessa shifted to give him a proper kiss. Nozel closed his eyes, enjoying her touch on his lips, how she tasted, how perfectly she seemed to fit in his arms…

Heavens, how much he loved this woman.

They make out and cuddle for a while in comfortable silence. The only light come from the full moon shining through the windows.

"I promise I will never put you into a cage."

"I know you won't."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Simple. I love you."

Nozel froze, still holding Vanessa tightly.

Those words. Those three precious words. She said it. She said it so simply. As if it was perfectly normal, the natural course of things.

They both sat up and he looked at her. Vanessa was smiling and blushing, her eyes down on the blanket. Was it new for her? She always seemed so full of joy and certain about so many things. And now, she looked like she was again that young little witch that just was saved from the cage, experiencing something new that made her happy but unsure.

He had to tell her back. He needed it and more importantly, he wanted it. Why was it so difficult to say three tiny little words?

But what they could mean had so many possibilities and for him, the meaning was so precious he couldn't let it go. Nozel was done of letting everything he kept dear.

It was difficult to hold her gaze, but he had to. Nozel knew that if he don't look her in the eyes while telling her those precious three words, he will regret it for the rest of his life. So, he cupped her face with both his hands to anchor himself, surprising her in the process.

It was hard to look her in those mesmerizing amethyst eyes, but to Nozels relief, this way it was also harder to look away.

"I… I love you too."

The world seemed to froze, only Vanessa seemed alive. He saw emotions coming one after another in her eyes, changing the shade, like a kaleidoscope.

First, there was surprise, then the slow process of realization. At the end, there was joy, the most pure and the biggest joy he ever saw in his life, her gorgeous smile back on her lips in all its glory.

Vanessa practically jumped on him, making them both fall back on the mattress while kissing him senseless. It was overwhelming, but Nozel gave in immediately, holding her like there was no tomorrow.

He had no idea how long they kissed and made love again. A few minutes? Hours? Honestly, it didn't matter. Maybe time stopped altogether for them, for this very moment. It was still night and the moon was still shining through the windows when they parted again, their bodies still as close as they could be and looking at each other. Exhausted, but happy.

Vanessa fell asleep first, her head resting on his chest. While running his fingers through her curls, one thought came to Nozels mind.

How he wished that his mother could have met Vanessa. Acier would have loved her, of that he was sure, and the feeling would have certainly be mutual. Nozel had no doubt that his mother would have supported him, even if his love happened to be a witch.

As sad as it was, it was a very reassuring thought and it made him even happy. Nozel finally fell asleep, happy and Vanessas rosy scent in his nose.

Yami tried to hold it a bit more. Just for a moment. Just enough to see the pleasure wash over Charlotte before it was his turn.

Just a second. He got a glance at his Prickly Queen moving under him and letting go, but that was all he got, as he wasn't able hold back more and gave in to the pleasure.

Yami groaned as he rolled away from Charlotte and fell heavily next to her. The mattress made a strange sound, but he didn't care. It was a bit frustrating that he couldn't watch his girlfriend gave in fully to pleasure properly, as he always came immediately.

But why should he complain? The nights with Charlotte were just worth it. It was fair to say that it was now more addicted to her than gambling or booze – which surprised Finral, but for some reason Yami didn't quite got, his wheels seemed relieved about it. Heck, the perspective of sleeping alone seemed now intolerable. The mere thought of not having Charlottes warm body next to him made his blood boil.

This was the reason why he now came every night at the Blue Roses base. He hadn't slept in his room back at the Hideout for quite a time now. Charlotte did mentioned that she could came over at the Black Bulls base from time to time, but Yami wasn't quite sure if this was a good idea. Not really because of the base moving thanks to Henry, but more because, well… it was impossible to have privacy back there. One of the rare disadvantages of the Hideout, he'll admit. You were either alone when you were asleep (in your room, that is) or when you were taking a dump. Or during a bath, and only if you INSISTED you wanted a lonely bath. It was easier to have privacy within the base of the Blue Roses, so this was settled.

Not to mention that Yami still wasn't ready to let his brats know about his new and still young relationship. It sucked already that Luck knew. But Luck was also Charlottes brother, he also knew how to hold a secret and in his own berserk way, he was very supportive. If only he could stop attacking him or asking when he would be an uncle.

So yeah, in short, if they wanted some beddancing, the Blue Roses headquarters were the better option. The only thing that sucked was that he had to fly all the way there by himself. Okay, he could of course order Finral to bring him, like he did for everything else. But first, that would have meant to tell Finral and Yami wasn't ready for that. And second, Charlotte actually scolded him for using his wheels for every tiny itsy-bitsy little thing, claiming that Finral and his spatial magic were way more than just a transport. Which was true, even though Yami would never admit it and still use Finral as a chauffeur. But well, since he didn't wanted for Charlotte to be upset with him, Yami had no other options than to fly himself.

But since he loved Charlotte more than to fly all by himself, it wasn't that difficult of a choice.

Yami turned his head to look at her. Her blonde hair was all undone except for the cute braid, all over the pillow some kind all-head crown, her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily. There was a hickey on her neck and another one on her breast.

Yami couldn't help but grin. He actually adored leaving those marks on her and given that Charlotte's clothing style was the complete opposite to Vanessa's, he had the full liberty to leave hickeys all over her body. Prickly Queen protested at first, but her protest had been more a formality than anything else.

Her blue eyes were closed, but she had the most gorgeous smile on her face. Really the most hot and beautiful woman in the kingdom. Her smiling that way… Damn, he must be really good. She was as well. For someone who never had any sex experience before him, she was a true goddess in bed.

"Wanna go for another round, Prickly Queen?"

"Yami! We just finished this one not even half a minute ago! And that was… our second round for tonight."

"Yeah, if you ask me, that was still not enough."

"Yami!"

"Just kidding, Prickly Queen, just kidding."

Charlotte turned towards him, frowning and a knowing glance in her eyes, clearly seeing through the lie. Yami sometimes wondered if she was able to read Ki, unknowingly. But it was probably more due to the fact that she seemed to know people well and was able tell immediately if someone was telling the truth or not.

Probably a needed talent when you dealt with nobles almost every day. She didn't really need Ki for that.

"Okay, okay, I'm halfway kidding… I think?"

"You think…"

"Don't be so harsh, Prickly Queen, you break my delicate little heart of glass, ya know."

This had the result to make Charlotte burst into laughter. "Delicate little heart of glass? Seriously, Yami!"

"What? It's true! This godly body here might be buff like no one else, but the heart is tiny and fragile, I wouldn't be sensible otherwise."

"You act like buff hearts can't be sensible. But they are and I think that in some cases, they even have more sensibility than the most fragile glass hearts."

"Oh, you can be good at poetry, Prickly Queen."

"Better have to… I recall that you're actually pretty solid when it comes to arts."

"Good memory there. But I'm not that good, poetry is all about writing and reading, not really my style."

"I saw that in your handwriting."

"Seriously, again? I don't know if my delicate little heart can't take another break, your cold and thorny majesty."

Charlotte laughed, making Yamis heart racing in his chest. He loved that sound, such a shame that he haven't heard it during all those years he knew her. If he had known how crystal-like that sound was, he would have tried to make her laugh from the start.

Since they were a couple, one of his favourite things to do was to make Charlotte laugh. And when they were alone, it was actually quite easy to do. Once it was just the two of them, or also when Luck was present, when Charlotte could let go of her metaphorical armour and leave all duties and captaincy behind, she was way more relaxed and easy to make laugh.

Sometimes, Yami tickled her, a habit Luck immediately took on as well, but he prefer to say silly and funny things to make Charlotte laugh. Those were when her giggles were the most gorgeous.

"Did you try to make orders within your reports and paperwork?" Charlotte asked after she finished laughing, cuddling up on his chest.

"Yeah, sorta. You gave me good tips, but it's still a pain in the ass."

"Hey, you asked me for help, so don't complain!"

"Yeah, I know, I know, I'm not allowed to put it on future Yami's problem. Poor Finral had a heart attack when he saw me do paperwork yesterday. But it's still a pain, since I don't have an office."

"You… don't have one? The Black Bulls doesn't have a captain's office?"

"Yeah, we don't. And given that even Jack, that jerk of beanpole has his own captain's office, seems that I'm the only cap missing one. Which sucks. Usually I read some reports while taking a dump, but now I really need to talk with Henry about making a room for an office."

"But the Black Bull's base has a lot of empty rooms. At least, it's what Luck and Vanessa told me. Can't you use one of them instead of bothering Henry?"

"Crap, I haven't thought about those rooms. Maybe… Nah, they're all dark and cramped and a pain, not to mention dark. I'd rather have Henry made a completely new room for me."

"Aren't you a bit lazy for just letting others do something you could easily have done yourself?"

"Come on, Prickly Queen, why do you sound like a mom?"

Charlotte chuckled again, but it wasn't like before. It felt heavier. Yami immediately frowned, automatically starting to stroke her hair.

"Something wrong, Prickly Queen?"

"It's fine… Just, when you said I sound like a mom… It reminded me of something that happened three days ago. It's on my mind quite often."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Well, it's about my mother."

"Did she tried again to engage you to Braids or Hard Nose?"

Yami knew that he had no reason to be jealous of his two royal colleagues and it was more Charlotte's mother who wanted that, not them. But that stupid jealousy and the insecurity that comes with it made him rather over protective over his queen.

"No, it's not about that. In fact, she wanted to apologize to me and she told me… some things about her life. Secrets she kept for herself for too long. It ended for me to have compassion with her, after what she went through."

Okay, this had Yamis curiosity and he couldn't help but worry a bit. Of course he would, since Charlotte seemed to take this at heart.

"Wanna tell me?"

"It's a bit of a long story."

"Well, we have time and it's not like I'm going anywhere."

Even though he would prefer to make love to Charlotte again or making her laugh, Yami could wait. He would be a bad boyfriend if he was only with her for the fun and to ignore her worries or to not share them.

They both sat up on the bed and Charlotte started to talk. "My mother actually wasn't a virgin when she married my father."

"Wait, isn't that-"

"Unusual for a noble lady in an acceptable age to get married? I know. Before you ask, it wasn't with my father. After all, they don't love each other, never did, never will. She did it with a peasant…"

It took a while for Charlotte to tell the whole story. Not because Yami interrupted, at least, not only. But mostly because it really pained her, feeling terribly for her mother.

To be honest, Yami slowly started to feel bad for lady Orchidea Roselei as well. That woman didn't had an easy life. Never been able with her true love, difficulties to have more children than Prickly Queen despite wanting more, married to a jerk who cheated on her, another jerk slept with her when she was down and drunk, using their one-night-stand as leverage. Worse, that jerk was the father of Noelle and Braids.

At least, it was fair to say that both didn't want to have anything to do with their old man. Noelle only met him twice or trice in her life and while Nozel had a stick up his ass, he still had enough decency and what his father did was something he never would tolerate.

Actually, maybe Yami should pity Nozel. At least a bit. Having that jerk as a father while losing his mother this young surely wasn't easy. Woah, for the first time, he could actually relate a little for Bird Braid. But well, details.

More importantly…

"Crap. Your mother had it rough."

"You can say that. I feel bad to have stand up to her like this two months ago."

Yami immediately cupped her face.

"Don't say that. You needed that. At least, it helped your mom to actually get a grip on herself again. At least, she wanted you to be happy, not to use you for some bullshit alliance or something."

"Still. Given the circumstances, I would have preferred to stand up against someone else. Like my father. Or my bitch aunt Rosamund."

Yami grinned. Charlotte only started using curse words recently. And only when they were alone. Seems like his bad mouth started to rub off on her and in his humble opinion, it made her actually sexy.

"At least, mother got a heavy burden of on her shoulders. And more importantly, her heart. Maybe she needed to tell it finally, in order to have peace."

"How does she cope?"

"Hm, she was never a rebel and she can be very sensitive, so I don't know. It was already a lot to tell me all of her secrets. I will support her, of course. But it would still take a while for my mother to finally move on."

"Moving on needs time. But with what you told me, yer mom's might be on the right way."

Charlotte smiled at him, making his heart flutter a little lot. "Thank you for your compassion towards my mother. I know how you feel about nobility and you're honestly right. But it's still nice that others than me can feel for her."

"Your mom went through a lot of bullshit and given the squad I have, it would be dumb of me to not feel bad for her. Heck, if I had met her, I might would have threw a Black Bull robe at her."

"It wouldn't surprise me. Speaking of Black Bulls, I told her about Luck. She would love to meet him one day. With what I told her, she looked like she would love to adopt him, somehow."

"What, really? Hey, I don't give my brats away! Bad enough that a royal married my wheels, even worse that Finesse is too kind to be mad at!"

"Yami…"

"Just kidding, Prickly Queen, just kidding. But seriously, is yer mom wants to meet Luck, ya can take her to our base at your next visit."

Charlotte didn't answered, but the joy and relief in her eyes said enough of her gratitude. That look was so beautiful on her that he had to kiss her. Charlotte immediately gave in, letting their lips and tongues dance.

"Does your mom also know… about us?" Yami still had to ask, as they ended their kiss.

"Well, she knows I have someone. But she asked me to not tell her. My mother doesn't trust herself yet with that kind of knowledge. But she promised to support me, no matter what."

That was some good news. Yami knows that parents supporting their children for love within nobility was a rare thing. Thankfully, Charlotte got this and Yami was happy for her.

He just hoped he wouldn't need to impress lady Orchidea too much, as it was a pain in the ass to keep up a façade. Then again, given how his potential mom-in-law had been in love with a peasant, she might be open minded.

Hopefully, her life would be happier from now on. She could be a nice grandmother. With kiddos with either black or blond hair on her lap…

Wait, why was he thinking about that? It was still way too early.

"So, about that third round," Charlotte suddenly said, interrupting his silly thoughts about grannies and kiddos. "If you let me lead, you'll get it."

Yami grinned. Oh, she gotten pretty bold since they started their still secret relationship. Prickly Queen still blushed from time to time, but she got confidence and that made him really thirsty.

So, Yami fell on his back, letting Charlotte climbing on top of him and looking down at him passionately in love. Gosh, he certainly would fight to be with her and that would never be future Yami's problem.